How to Start a Fire in a Cold Chimney

Avoid smoking up your home when you first light a fire in a cold fireplace. The trick is to create a torch with rolled-up newspaper and use it to warm up the smoke chamber before starting your fire. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

  • Gloves
  • Newspaper
  • Fire-starting Materials
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the damper fully. Start preparing the fire as you normally would with adequate paper, kindling and seasoned firewood.

    • 2

      Slightly open a window in the room where the fireplace is located.

    • 3

      Roll a few sheets of newspaper to form a torch. It should be tightly twisted on the end you hold and loose on the end you will light.

    • 4

      Light the torch and hold it up to the damper to heat the smoke chamber.

    • 5

      When the chimney seems to draw well, light the fire.

Tips & Warnings

  • Wear gloves to protect your hand from falling burning embers, and don't look up into the chimney while warming it.

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Comments

  • Nov 22, 2005
    Using a hair dryer on the hot (high) setting has a two fold advantage. First, you are forcing the flue to draft in the right direction and secondly, you are heating the system much faster. Holding a paper torch will often blow ashes and debris back into the room with the risk of setting something on fire.
  • Nov 22, 2005
    Using a hair dryer on the hot (high) setting has a two fold advantage. First, you are forcing the flue to draft in the right direction and secondly, you are heating the system much faster. Holding a paper torch will often blow ashes and debris back into the room with the risk of setting something on fire.

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